Packers’ boss in the hunt to be Stanford AD?

A very interesting name that has popped up in the rumor mill for the Stanford athletic director’s job is that of Mark Murphy, a former Washington Redskins safety who’s currently president of the Green Bay Packers.

A source told the Green Bay Press-Gazette that Murphy tried to get the Stanford AD job in 2006, when Bob Bowlsby was hired instead. Bowlsby leaves in mid-June to become the commissioner of the Big 12.

Murphy was one of the more cerebral NFL players I’ve run across. He played eight years with the Skins, including two Super Bowls. During his years with them he picked up an MBA at American University. As the Skins’ player rep, he took an active role in the strike that wiped out nearly half the 1992 season, a role that might have cut short his NFL career.

He earned a law degree from Georgetown after his pro career ended and later served as athletic director at Colgate, his alma mater, and at Northwestern. He’s been the Packers’ president and CEO since 2007. They of course won the Super Bowl after the 2010 season, so maybe he feels he’s gone as far as he can go with the organization.